Since the last blog post....
I flew out to Michigan to visit a good friend I've met through the blogosphere known as Irisi. She has a great blog and needs more visitors so stop in and say hello. By the way, Ann Arbor is one heck of a town. Liberal, friendly, clean and lots of academia emanating from every street corner to boot. I felt smarter through osmosis which I do not feel when I walk about New Haven which is home to Yale.
I drank soy milk blasted with organic chocolate syrup. There's more health food stores per capita in Ann Arbor than anywhere I've seen. There are organic alternatives for everything. Who knew?
Met lots of great people with bright futures ahead of them. It was nice to talk to some of them who really wanted to know more about my line of work in television. A menial job, yes, but one that has an impact on what you see on your plasma screens. The young college minds truly are sponges. I was glad to offer any guidance or advice I could.
Since Michigan is in the Midwest, I got to see something that we don't have in the northeast; vast rolling plains. I made it a point that Irisi take me there as this is what the Midwest truly means to me.
Walked the University of Michigan campus where class was out but there were many, many weddings. As it happens, the illustrious halls can be rented out for them. Yuck! (Weddings for Ricardo=vomiting and nausea)
Shouted: WOLVERINES!
Learned about the Greek culture thanks to Irisi who tells me that I look like a mainland Greek. Alas, Ricardo is a domestic creature and a spartan he is not. Irisi, by the way, is Greek and I don't mean in the sorority sense of the word. If she were that kind of Greek, I wouldn't have bothered visiting.
Unfortunately your blogger, Ricardo, was admitted to hospital for severe breathing problems. He almost lost consciousness yet refused to be driven to the emergency room until he was forced in the car by Irisi. Even in this weakened state, Ricardo was still able to overpower her but figured it best to get into the car or possibly die. Ricardo was NOT dying but WAS having a Tony Soprano-esque panic attack. The cause of the stress is not known but drugs and foul play were not involved, just so you know. Anxiety attacks can simply happen with no warning. The bright side, I have a pretty strong heart even though we thought it was a heart attack.
Performed a Pagan based meditation in the woods to relieve the before mentioned anxiety.
Made a good friend in Irisi who was welcoming, supportive in my time of need in the ER, cooked wonderful organic foods and showed me things that I'll never forget.
Thank you.
Still to come on U N L O A D E D; Is it too much to fucking ask? Vote for me on the bloggers choice awards!!!!!
And later.....
The ancient and not so mythical sport of shin kicking. It ain't just for the kids in the playground.
30 PEOPLE HAVE UNLOADED:
If you get only one vote I want you to know that was mine. If you get a million I want you to know mine was one of them.
So what did cause that ER visit? Is it possible you were stressing?
Hope it's nothing man.
Stress but I don't know about what exactly. I can be trapped in a burning building and be perfectly calm but the second things get nice it's all over. I hope it's nothing either.
Thank you for all the nice things you said about me/Ann Arbor ("ACE DUCE!")
I look forward to seeing you in the future sometime! I'll email you those cow pictures asap...
You'll have to come during the school year sometime, then the halls truely do radiate rampant academia, and the buildings are stuffed with students. :)
Miss you!
I'm not so far from Michigan (So. Il) but no-one around here is self-conscious. I wish that they were so that prices of organic food would be cheaper here. It's so expensive that you can't even afford it. Especially if you are trying to feed a family.
so you liked the scenery of the midwest huh. I think that the midwest really gets some bad smack sometimes. It is what it is but there are diamonds here in the rough. And you'll never meet such down-to-earth people anywhere else all gathered together in one place. Glad you had fun. So have you watched the last episode yet? Maybe you had a panic attack because you were upset about the Sopranos being over and you have nothing to fill your time between 8 and9 on Sunday nights anymore. At least, nothing comparable.
behind blue eyes - have you tried a vegetable subscription or shopping at the local farmers market? I get around the high prices of organic food by mostly buying directly from the farmers, or from my local co-op. On the plus side, not only is it cheaper, it's also fresher :)
Just thought I'd mention that bit...
I voted for you! Hell, I nominated you! And tell Irisi I read her blog all the time. I didn't comment on the last post because I thought it was private. Michigan is a beautiful state, particularly upper Michigan. You know I'm from the Midwest.
Vote for Ricardo NOW!
Vote for Muffin in 2008.
Oooh that sounds like fun! Lol... and you said no more blogs :)
That is Great! Nothing like visiting a new place, and LOVING them!
Irisi - I'll make it a point to head back out if you'll be so kind as to have me.
BBE - I think the midwest gets bad smack because of the ultra religious folk. They tend to be very noisy about everything and then, in turn, give everyone else a bad name. It's perceived as if everyone there is backwards and puritanical. I however, know that's not the case. I did indeed watch the last episode and sent you an email on my thoughts.
Irisi - you should do a post on how to eat organic without breaking the bank. Most people simply can't or don't want to spend money on smaller portions that are presumably healthier.
Enemy - Yes indeed I knew you were a midwesterner. Strangely, I get a good chunk of readers from there. But most lurk and don't comment. Thanks for voting and nominating.
Maya - Did I say no more blogs? It must have been the whisky. but the blog will end....eventually. I had lots of fun.
Meleah - Yes it could have gone all wrong. I mean my east cost sensibilities could have really worked against me there. Everyone moved a lot faster than I thought. I thught it would be really slow like the south. Not the case at all. Prompt yet relaxed and friendly. You're a Jersey girl so you know that from your state up to my state of CT (aka the tri state area), everyone is in a hurry and pissed off even if there's nothing urgent. It's our way of life.
stressing when things are nice?
welcome to the club brother.
meditation is the key.
and focus the breathing on opening up the heart chakra.
i met a greek girl recently and together we are boggling about how good things are.
i don`t write about our relationship in my blog because there are local people reading who don`t need to know....
.....but i`ll share here.
she`s the best.
and it feels good to say it.
you are going to live brother. allow and practice opening up your heart.
everything else falls into place once you do.
There are also a lot of very out-of-shape people in the midwest...at least here. Did you notice that? Lot's of morbidly obese. Ohmigod. I work with a bunch of people whom I think have eating disorders and there is always doughnuts and fried things chicken wings and they are always going out for fried rice and crab rangoon. We used to have potlucks (I'm glad we don't anymore, I felt obligated to participate) that were always based around a theme. And it was always something so gross, like once someone brought in a big platter of fried chicken livers....I'm talking soul food on the worst point of the spectrum. I don't understand how people can be so ignorant in this day and age when we all have so much info available to us. Anyway, that is one of the things that I DON'T like about the midwest.
Dr.A - Thanks friend. I think I need to do that too. The ER Doctor strongly recommended meditation as a means of keeping this under control. I don't want to go on anti depressants because I can't focus on them. Writing is impossible. It's like they calm me but give me ADD. The "cure" is worse than the disease. The Greek culture is fascinating and I'm glad you found someone that you feel a connection with. It's not easy to find. Irisi is an amazing and bright young woman.
BBE - I don't doubt that there's an obesity problem. It's everywhere. Luckily where I was there was an abundance of young, taught, nubile and graceful female bodies. All of which had me salivating in the most wonderful of ways.
It could be that the health food threw your body into shock. Seems almost like Ted Nugent trying to sustain on a John Lennon diet. Anyway, glad to hear you are doing better.
Hey Ricardo, you need to get over that wedding fear because you are missing some serious bridesmaid action in that mindset. LoL
I want to read more about your impression of the Midwest.
I was in Detroit last year, so I have thoughts to share.
I think it is important for Americans to explore this country. I think we don't do that enough.
Clay - I think the organic nature of the diet did indeed throw me into convulsions. I simply couldn't handle it. As for the weddings, duly noted. It does present a wealth of opportunity that I have yet to tap into.
Durante Vita - Welcome! Yes I do have more impressions of the midwest. Everything so so much more affordable and while there was congestion around the Detroit area you had those plains to escape to and just disappear. You're right in American's needing to explore the country. We don't do that. There's so much more out there. Unfortunately many of us in the northeast look at the midwest as if it's just rolling plains and farmers with no civilization.
I told you Michigan was more than Detroit!!!!
(Note to Irisi -- I grew up in Plymouth, about 20 minutes from Ann Arbor.)
Yeah but what was up with all the houses having these giant, old school TV antennas on them. Haven't they heard of DriecTV? Geez!
Hey, I would say nothing is wrong with pagan-based meditation...it can be quite rejuvenating...:)
JohnB - It was very rejuvenating and it's really a fascinating religion that gets a bad rap. Since I'm an open minded fellow I have no issue working this into a daily routine or something if it helps. And in reality, my rabbi probably wouldn't care either.
Wow... what a discussion...
Ricardo, you are loved!
By me too ;)
PS. Yeah, Irisi is fun! She should be loved ;)
nellioness, my dear, thank you. You are loved by me as well and it's always a pleasure to have you in on the discussions.
Irisi is wonderful and a life saver.
Oi! Don't call your job menial! Ann Arbor sounds like just my kinda place. Hope you're in good health now and great news on the scripts!
Sounds like a nice place to visit. I like being around other smart people. Thanks for introducing me to irisi.
Hi, popping over from Enemy's...
Glad you are doing better and I do agree that meditation makes all the difference.
Fiona - Thank you much and I think you would indeed enjoy Ann Arbor. It's an eclectic little place that's very open minded to everything except buildings over 10 stories. People are freaked out about high rise buildings. I don't see the big deal but so be it.
Leon, you're welcome and make that your destination when you visit the states. I think you'd have fun here.
Bardouble29 - thanks for the visit. Meditation was something I did back when I acted some time ago and I forgot what an amazing thing it actually is. It does make a difference and slows the mind down to pick up the small things that can bring insight to our life and substance to our art.
AHA! So I do have hope in tempting you to come meet me in NYC! It's a heck of a lot closer than Michigan.
Maritza I've gone to Providence RI to see Don Foley, Michigan to see Irisi, why wouldn't I come out to see you in NYC? It's an hour and a half away by train! We're very close.
I have had panic attacks before and they arent fun! Glad thats all it was! Sounds like loads of fun besides that!
They are not fun at all! And I'm downing massive amouns of St.John's Wort which is really helping. It came out of nowhere.
You name the day Ricardo and I'm there!
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